Ship Found At Ground Zero Dates To 1773

A ship found four years ago at the World Trade Center site was made from wood cut around 1773, new research shows.

Scientists at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory said the white oak in the ship's frame came from a Philadelphia-area forest and matched the material used to build the city's Independence Hall.

They announced the findings in the July issue of the journal Tree Ring Research.

The discovery links the ship to key dates in American history: 1773 was two years before the start of the war and three years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The ship was discovered in July 2010

The scientists identified the vessel as a Dutch-designed, Philadelphia-built sloop made to carry passengers and cargo over shallow, rocky water.

The white oak in the ship's frame came from a Philadelphia-area forest

They said it sailed for 20 to 30 years before being weighed down and sunk to the bottom of the Hudson River.

Archaeologists dismantled the ship piece by piece to study it

A 32ft (10m) piece of the vessel was found in July 2010 about 20ft (6m) under a street during construction of a parking garage for the new 1 World Trade Center.

The tower is part of the complex that was rebuilt after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.